1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an electrophotographic photosensitive member to be mounted on an electrophotographic apparatus, an electrophotographic photosensitive member containing an organic photoconductive substance (charge generation substance) is commonly used. In an electrophotographic process, a cleaning step of removing a post-transfer residual toner by using a cleaning blade is demanded to reduce a contact stress (friction coefficient) between the cleaning blade and the electrophotographic photosensitive member, in order to suppress phenomena such as squeal of the cleaning blade and rubbing of the cleaning blade.
In order to reduce the contact stress of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a technique has been proposed in which a siloxane-modified resin having a siloxane structure in the molecular chain is allowed to be contained in the surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, the surface layer being brought into contact with a contact member (such as cleaning blade). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-037229 has disclosed a technique in which a resin having a siloxane structure incorporated into a polycarbonate resin is allowed to be contained in the surface layer, thereby reducing the contact stress (friction coefficient) between the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the cleaning blade.
The surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is formed by applying a surface-layer coating solution, that is obtained by dissolving or dispersing a binder resin or the like in a solvent, onto a support or the like to form a coat, and drying this coat. The solvent is selected with taking into consideration the solubility of the binder resin or the like, the absence of impact on electrophotographic characteristics, and the absence of whitening, drips and the like of the coat at the time of coating. Thus, various studies have been performed for the solvent to be used as the solvent of the coating solution from the viewpoint of simultaneously satisfying electrophotographic characteristics and coating properties. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-343767 has proposed a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member that is not whitened at the time of coating and that has electrophotographic characteristics equal to or more excellent than the case of using a halogenated solvent by using an aromatic hydrocarbon and ethylene glycol dimethyl ether as a solvent of a charge transport-layer coating solution. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H06-123987 has proposed that in order to suppress defects of the coat, the drying temperature at the time of producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member and the boiling point of a solvent to be used for a photosensitive-layer coating solution be adjusted.